Italy, At Last
I had always wanted to travel to Italy since college Art History classes — focused on the antiquities of Ancient Rome, its art, pottery, and furniture — planted a small light in my heart. I specifically had wished to see and experience Rome, a metropolis defined by seven hills, vibrantly painted temples, and a landscape blending monumental marble government centers with massive entertainment venues like the Colosseum. It all seemed so far away yet attainable in time; and as they say, Italy finds you when it's ready.
Departure
As the airline attendant calls for final boarding, travelers make their way to the gate, each carrying their own reasons for leaving, their own dreams of what awaits. I watch them file past—a young couple holding hands, a businesswoman with her laptop bag, a family juggling backpacks and excitement. We all share this threshold moment, suspended between the life we're temporarily leaving and the one we're about to step into.
Roots & Wings
Life is a series of highways and backroads and alleys and subways, at least for those willing and brave to show up. The interstate or "vanilla way of living" will certainly get you to some sort of destination, and maybe faster, but one will miss so much of what shapes us, such as adventure and surprise, newly found sites and sweet pictorial moments. In travel, we learn that wrong turns, missed flights and delayed trains teach us a lot about ourselves and often how to find our way back to ourselves, more than any self help book or good therapy session could conquer.